Indian SMBs Optimistic About Future Cloud Adoption: Microsoft Study India leads in spending on technology with approximately 35 per cent of SMBs spending over 10 per cent of their revenue on technology, in comparison to global counterparts

India leads in spending on technology with approximately 35 per cent of SMBs spending over 10 per cent of their revenue on technology, in comparison to global counterparts, according to a recent Microsoft study. Growth of customer base and improvement in customer retention are some of the top drivers of technology adoption by SMBs in India.

SMBs in India are optimistic about future cloud adoption with 27 per cent of SMBs in India are all or mostly cloud based and with 26 per cent of SMBs in India being early adopters of new technologies, they lead their counterparts in other countries when it comes to spending on technology with around 35 per cent of them spending over 10 per cent of their revenue on technology. Of these, 22 per cent SMBs in India are most likely to plan on an increase of over 10 per cent over the next year. SMBs in middle-income markets are concerned about cloud migration than their counterparts in high income markets. SMBs are the cornerstone of the economy and vital job creators, contributing approximately 30per cent to India's GDP and providing employment to over 114 million people in the country. Microsoft is committed to empowering SMBs through its continued investments and commitments, giving these organizations trusted technologies they need to innovate and grow.

"It is evident that linking technology investments and adoption with business strategies, as well as close collaboration with partners are crucial to deliver success for SMBs. Organizations, big or small, that are rooted in technology and committed to harnessing full potential, will be able to stay ahead of the curve by becoming more agile, resilient, future-ready businesses," said Samik Roy, executive director, corporate medium and small business, Microsoft India.

Due to the impact of the pandemic, SMBs are more willing to invest in managed IT services and cloud solutions. Many SMBs do not have the capacity or the requirement to onboard IT specialists. As a result, MSPs and CSPs are ideally placed to support SMBs' technology challenges by supplementing SMBs' internal IT teams with specialist skills. 25 per cent of SMBs surveyed in India prefer working with application developers/Independent Software Vendor (ISVs). SMBs in India are likely to want to improve environmental sustainability vis-à-vis 37 per cent SMBs across the markets.